DESCRIPTION, OVERALL (provided by applicant): The major goal of the Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center at the University of Washington is to promote and facilitate the study of animal models of obesity, diabetes and pathological complications due to these disorders. Because of the multidisciplinary nature of phenotyping approaches, close interaction across medical, pathological, and molecular disciplines is necessary to characterize animals used to study human diseases. By providing a number of Core facilities, the Seattle MMPC integrates and coordinates research activities so that Customers interested in having their animal models characterized can obtain a dear picture of the metabolic and disease state for each animal. The five Cores are: 1) an Administrative Core that is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the MMPC including the Pilot & Feasibility Program of the Animal Models of Diabetic Complications Consortium (AMDCC); 2) an Animal Core which will ensure proper delivery of animals and appropriate distribution to other Cores, and monitor health, husbandry and proper treatment of animals; 3) a Diabetes and Energy Balance Core to provide facilities for measuring body composition, energy expenditure, metabolic phenotyping and evaluation of type 1 and type 2 diabetes; 4) a Cardiovascular Core to provide assessment of heart function in normal and challenged states, vascular pathology quantifications, and response to injury modeling; 5) a Microvascular and Retinopathy Core which will evaluate kidney function and structural changes as well as extent of pathology in the eye. Four of the Core units are supported by HUBs which collect within each HUB, general technologies. Within the Animal Core is the Animal HUB which provides personnel to aid in dispersal of animals to the appropriate core facilities and to aid investigators in phenotyping. The Diabetes and Energy Balance Core harbors the Analytical HUB which is responsible for quantification of RNA, proteins, carbohydrates, and any other analyte needed in this MMPC. The Surgery HUB is within the Cardiovascular Core and provides surgery expertise for this Core and any surgery needs extending from other Cores. The Morphology HUB, located within the Microvascular/Retinopathy Core, is responsible for all tissue preparation and analysis. Thus, this MMPC provides outstanding facilities and support for the large and varied obesity and diabetes research base which includes our University, AMDCC investigators, and other potential Customers across the country.